


Restless

by ruimaita



Category: THE iDOLM@STER
Genre: Fluff, Getting Together, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pre-Canon, jirorui perfect, kind of suggestive, they are both so in love with each other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:34:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23273290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruimaita/pseuds/ruimaita
Summary: It was only a matter of time before Rui found himself in this position with Jiro, even after a drink or two.
Relationships: Maita Rui/Yamashita Jirou
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is just a small JiroRui drabble, nothing too long or serious! I just wanted to get back into the writing brain. I still hope you enjoy it!! (This ship rocks)

_It was another typical dinner night with Rui_ , Jiro thought to himself, Rui opening the door and excitedly inviting himself in.

Ever since Rui moved into the new neighborhood and started teaching English at their high school, he had been relentless at staying over for a meal. Jiro preferred to stay indoors after a long day of work, watching horse races on the television or taking a long, hot bath before falling deeply asleep into oblivion, but the entrance of Rui—both into his work life and into his routine—disrupted his quiet nights. His relaxing evenings in were replaced with the loud knocking on his door and the low hum of his radio with the loud and cheery call of “Mister Yamashita”. (Seriously, why did he use that prefix?)

Although this created more of a lifestyle change that Jiro would like to admit, deep down, a part of him did not mind the new company. _Maybe variety in life will somehow be worth the headache_ , Jiro mused, moving his coffee beaker back and forth, watching the kids run across the field from the view of his office window. Rui was trailing behind them, yelling something inaudible. Jiro’s gaze fell upon Rui’s bright, almost blindly radiant grin on his face as he chased them. He swore he could almost see Rui turn around to face him, his eyebrows scrunched as he called his name, but he didn't.

Over time, Jiro realized that Rui enjoyed stopping by next door for his _cooking_. When Jiro brought up the idea of Rui cooking for himself, his eyes fell to the ground. _Was that a blush?_

 _There was no way a twenty-three year old man was unable to make dinner for himself_. Sure, he found it odd that he had an unexpected, younger companion for dinnertime, but didn’t Rui have better things to do than hanging around him?

“Say, Rui, don’t you have anyone else better to eat with than an old man like me?”

Rui paused abruptly, chopstick about to bring more rice into his mouth. He laughed, his giggle ringing in the air, still holding his bowl.

“No, Mister Yamashita, I want to eat dinner with _you!_ ”

“Eh, are you just saying that because you want to eat my food?”

Jiro swore he could see a light pout paint itself across Rui’s face. Did he hit a nerve or something? There’s no way Rui could have been hurt by that statement, right—

“No! I want to _drink_ too,” Rui exclaimed, taking out a 12-pack can of beer from the white plastic grocery bag.

Of course. Rui loved his beer as much as his snacks.

As Rui hurried to clear the table for drink, Jiro couldn’t help but think about what his life would’ve been like without this sudden intrusion, without the random English, the over-exaggerated punchlines of American jokes, the blonde locks of hair, and the glittering eyes. Would he have…just still lived his life relatively the same without him?

We he still be eating dinner alone?

Shaking his head, Jiro let go of these thoughts and focused on the fact that Rui was definitely over-welcoming his stay tonight. After all, tonight’s horse show was in thirty minutes.

_As much as he can be a hassle, he sure is an interesting guy._

Two cans of beer later and a horse race that was well forgotten, Jiro could feel the heat of the alcohol on his cheeks as he told Rui another anecdote about the high school. After all, Rui was a newer teacher, and he had yet to know about the very interesting teacher in the math department.

Unfortunately, Jiro and Rui were already both slurring their speech, undeniably tipsy and feeling rather cozy on the floor. Jiro could barely recall his story without cracking up halfway, and Rui was having trouble keeping his head up. Inch by inch, Rui moved to Jiro, sluggishly making his way from his side of the table to Jiro’s. As Jiro tried to continue his story (albeit getting nowhere), Rui drunkenly encouraged him.

“Tell me more, Mister Yamashita,” Rui purred, toying with one of the empty cans on the table before looking directly at him.

 _Was it the beer, or was Rui’s gaze…intense?_ Jiro definitely felt less than sober, but he swore he was seeing things when Rui took his hand and started rubbing his thumb across his palm. He looked up at Jiro, cheeks flushed. The second button of Ruis shirt was unbuttoned, revealing his smooth collarbones and a peek of his chest. It almost pained for him for admit this, but Jiro swore he saw Rui bend over just a little, jutting out his ass. Jiro hit his intoxicated brain. _God, what are you thinking? Get it together…you’re drunk…_

“Mister Yamashita?”

Jiro could fell himself drifting off, as he told himself to just close his eyes for a second.

_If I rest in this moment, it can last forever. Rui can keep on rubbing my hand…for eternity…_

* * *

If you asked Rui if he saw himself sprawled across the floor of his neighbor’s apartment, laying next to him on the futon, he would simply deny any part of that thought. _Yes, it was the beer_ , Rui admitted, _but only partially_.

It was a while since he relaxed from work, and Mister Yamashita was really, truly the person he was the closest to since moving in. Sure, he was incredibly amicable and met many coworkers and neighbors he got along with, but he preferred to spend his time with Mister Yamashita.

 _Something about him was very funny_ , Rui thought to himself. Rui noticed this during one of their dinners. While Mister Yamashita was in school, his dark eye circles seemed even more sunken in and of course, he always had that five o’clock shadow. Until recently, Mister Yamashita kept the same appearance. Rui swore that Jiro started straightening up his clothes after work and before dinner, or was it his hair? _He would look even more handsome if he cleaned up just a bit_ … Rui tried not to let his curiosity towards Jiro’s changed habits show, even when Jiro asked him if he only came to his house to eat. Rui knew that this was a joke on his part, but he couldn’t help but take the question more seriously.

 _Do I like Mister Yamashita’s food_ …?

 _Or do I like_ …

Rui shook his head. _I definitely do not like his house, it looks exactly like mine, except he has magazines sprawled across the floor_.

Jiro and Rui were in the middle of their drunken stories when Rui started thinking about their relationship. Maybe Rui wanted to end up with him like this one night, or it was just a matter of time that their closeness went over his head. At one point, Rui forgot what Jiro was talking about. He found himself asking Jiro more questions about the story, focusing on anything but the contents itself. His voice gradually got quieter, until Rui couldn’t hear anything at all. Jiro’s low voice quietly faded away into a soft snore. _Did he…?_

_Oh my gosh!_

_Mister Yamashita was really asleep. He just fell asleep, right on my lap!_

Rui could feel the warmth of Jiro’s cheeks pressed against his suit pants. Jiro’s sleepy mumbles could be heard as he nuzzled against his thigh. _You’re way too close_ …Rui remarked silently to himself. _I’m not a cat, you know_.

Despite the discomfort caused by Jiro resting in between his legs and Rui’s leg feeling like it was about to fall asleep itself, Rui didn’t dare to move. Sure, he didn’t want to wake Mister Yamashita up, but the way his face was smushed against his inner thigh was making Rui think about… _other things_. Rui would be lying if he wasn’t getting a little _excited_ from this contact. It had really been a while since Rui felt this way, and he couldn’t possibly believe it was from the older next-door neighbor. At this point, his head was filled with too much beer to think rationally, or address the _issue_ in the room.

 _Mister Yamashita needed to wake up now_ , before he embarrassed himself even further. _It_ was beginning to strain against his pants, and Rui felt rather uncomfortable. His mind began to wander to other escapades, tangentially related to Jiro relieving him of the stress he felt under his zipper.

 _Please_ … _Mister Yamashita_ …

“Mmm…warm…soft…”

_Really, Mister Yamashita? I feel anything there but…soft…right now._

At this point, Rui knew that the heat across his face wasn’t from the drinks that they just had. If anything, Jiro’s drunk rambling into his lap had sobered him up. Rui rarely felt himself embarrassed, but he gulped rather loudly, moving his collar aside breathe in fresh air. His hand instinctually rested on top of Jiro’s head, stroking it to get his mind off of Rui’s clear predicament.

“Rui….?”

_Yes, Mister Yamashita?_

“I…I like you…you know-”

Rui immediately responded, letting the breath that he held in for so long, finally free.

“I like you too, Mister Yamashita, _of course_! We’re _friends_ , right,” he replied abruptly.

“I go to your _house_ to eat, we talk, we…”

"Mmmmhhh....."

Jiro stopped mumbling.

_He’s finally out, huh?_

Rui gently removed Jiro’s head from his lap, sighing in relief to himself as he finally got the pressure out of the way. He grabbed a pillow from the futon and cushioned Jiro’s head. Taking a blanket from the same futon, he made sure that Jiro was sleeping peacefully before making his way to his bathroom.

* * *

Jiro woke up with not only a pounding headache, but also a soft hand resting on his forehead.

“Mister Yamashita! You’re awake!”

Ah, it’s that loud voice again.

Jiro looked at the table across from him, and saw dinner all cleaned up and several beer cans in the trash.

_We got got drunk last night? When did that happen?_

Last night seemed like a blur to him, and if Jiro had to be honest, he had quite the hangover.

“Rui, did we really drink-

Jiro pointed at the trash can.

All of that last night?”

Rui looked away momentarily, which struck Jiro as odd. He wasn’t the type of indirectly answer Jiro’s questions, and the enthusiastic look he had on his face when Jiro woke was replaced by one with apprehension.

“Ah...yes we did. You got a little drink, so I took you to bed.”

Rui coughed and sputtered before he could continue his sentence.

“I mean, I took care of you until you fell asleep. I mean-”

“Okay, I get it, Rui.”

_God, what was up with him? Did something happen last night?_

“Hey, Rui,” Jiro asked curiously, propping his head up on his arm, facing him.

“Nothing weird happened last night, right? Because I have a tendency to sleeptalk…”

 _It was that weird expression again_ , Jiro noticed, as Rui swatted his hand back and forth.

There was a pause between the two as Rui played with the buttons on his sleeve, not looking Jiro in the eye. The words were right on his tongue, if he could only grasp to reach them.

“Oh, _nothing at all_! Don’t worry, Mister Yamashita!”

Rui immediately got on the balls of his feet and made his way towards the kitchen. He wiped his hands on his pants, as if he was trying to get rid of something that wasn’t even there.

“No need to worry~ Let me get some water~”

Jiro looked at Rui with confusion as Rui quickly went to pour Jiro a much needed (non-alcoholic) drink.

After all, if anything really did happen last night, Jiro was sure that Rui would be honest with him.


	2. Back and Forth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chapter in which Jiro realizes that something is on Rui's mind and also laughs for the first time in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to make this a multi-chapter fic!  
> Enjoy :)

While the first few of their nights together after their predicament were awkward to say in the least, their closeness meant that the tension between Rui and Jiro slowly began to dissolve. Despite Jiro wanting to believe that Rui was his usual, upbeat self, he found himself noticing Rui space out more than usual. Typically, Rui was the one to notice slight changes in Jiro.

_Oh, Mister Yamashita!_ _You look more /energetic/ than usual! Did your horse /win/ last night_ / _GOOD MORNING/ Mister Yamashita! Time to get up, let’s go go_ ☆.

Jiro felt a weight on his chest when he realized that even though Rui had an easier time reading him, he could never fully understand what Rui was thinking behind that smile of his.

Jiro felt it necessary for him to talk to Rui but hesitated when thinking about Rui’s reaction.

_We already have such an unlikely friendship, what if he pulls away?_

Moreover, Jiro didn’t want Rui to divulge anything he wanted to keep to himself. Jiro’s mind spun as he felt himself becoming more concerned every passing day. He wanted to hit himself on the head, since when did an old man like him get so worked up?

Every time Jiro passed by Rui’s classroom after school, he paused for a second before seeing if he was inside. Part of him wanted to relish in that silence before Rui approached him, with seemingly even more bounce in his step each time. The other part of him knew that his own hesitation was something that was unique to their meeting. Jiro stood there alone, because before he met Rui, that loneliness felt all too familiar.

This time, though, Jiro walked into his classroom more conviction than he knew he ever had. He felt his heart beat pound like the drums of an opening assembly as he twisted open the doorknob. The door of Rui’s classroom swung open with a creak. To Jiro’s surprise, his seat was empty.

Jiro’s hand instinctively brushed across his bangs, as if to confirm his disbelief. _He’s usually here_ … _I saw him here today_. His face felt hot as he chided himself for being so concerned over something that was barely an issue. _But…with the way Rui has been acting lately…this can’t be a coincidence, right?_

His loafers moved one in front of the other, lab coattail swishing behind him as Jiro knew where to search next. He might not ever understand Rui’s mentality, but he knew where Rui would go. Jiro sped into the courtyard, not stopping to catch his breath, his long legs spiraling down each step of the stairs.

_I guess I was right_.

There Rui was, on the tennis court, absentmindedly bouncing a tennis ball between his hands. Where there were usually students surrounded him as he served balls to them, Rui stood there alone. The monotonous sound of the tennis ball hitting the pavement, _up, down, up, down_ , made the column of Jiro’s throat feel dry. _Rui’s eyes are one of Jiro’s favorite things about him_ , he thinks. _But I don’t like the way his eyes look now._

Rui lifted his head up, eyes meeting Jiro’s. A smile blossomed across Rui’s face as he excitedly waves Jiro over.

_Don’t try and fool me. I saw you earlier._

There was so much Jiro wanted to say to Rui, how he always wanted to be there to talk about his issues, how Rui was the first person who didn’t make him feel like…some stupid old chemistry teacher. How-

“MISTER YAMASHITA!! /Good afternoon!/”

Rui suddenly whips the tennis ball at Jiro, grinning as Jiro barely attempts to catch the ball. It hits Jiro’s chest, causing him to make a muffled noise of annoyance.

“RUI!”

Rui tried his best to stifle in his laughter at Jiro getting riled up over his ambush.

“I’m going to get you!”

To an onlooker, the scene of a tired teacher with a half-done tie and a blonde teacher nearly 10 year his junior running around on the tennis court would be comical. The older teacher was losing his breath, almost struggling to catch up. The younger teacher was also, surprisingly, trying to catch his own breath- not from running around, but from laughing hysterically. Jiro prefers to move as less as possible, but for Rui…he was definitely going to catch this bastard.

As Jiro finally grasped full control of the tennis ball while Rui was cracking up, he laughed for the first time in months. A wholehearted, hearty laugh. A laugh that made his eyebrows crinkle and chest feel like it was filled with bubbles. _A Rui laugh_ , he mused. While Jiro was distracted, Rui grabbed at his waist for the tennis ball. Jiro felt the warmth (and sweat) of Rui’s face as he saw a blur of blonde in front of him.

_Damn it!_

Instead of trying to take the ball from Rui again, Jiro stopped in his tracks. Rui abruptly stopped running as well.

“Mister Yamashita?”

Jiro felt the gritty, tactile fuzz of the tennis ball in his hands, musing to himself. _If I don’t do this now, when will I ever have the courage to?_

A look of concern appeared on Rui’s face as Jiro let those three painful seconds melt into the space between them. He needed to take another pause before asking. It was always a pause before it came to Maita Rui. Part of it always seemed too good to be true.

“You’re making me /nervous/…did your /horse/ lose again?”

The good-natured side of Rui was joking about the horse, but part of him genuinely wished that it was something of little severity. Ever since that night happened between them, Rui spent nights reflecting on his feelings, looking up at the ceiling of his own apartment.

It wasn’t like Rui didn’t reciprocate his feelings. Oh my god, he completely did. Absolutely, and positively yes. _I like Mister Yamashita so much. I want to spend cold nights curled up on his lap. I want to hold his hand when he’s tired._ Out of all of the possible pursuits he could have, friends of friends, old college flames, even other coworkers, Rui’s eyes landed on the guy who would smile to himself as he brewed coffee in a beaker. The teacher who had a folder of cute cat pictures on his smartphone and would complain about back pain periodically. The man who, without fail, would invite Rui in his home, not as a courteous neighbor, but as someone important to him. Rui wanted to accept Jiro’s confession with every ounce of his heart, whenever Jiro was ready. Rui decided that he would wait for Jiro to say what he felt on his own terms, completely sober. It made Rui happy to know that Jiro would one day be able to realize these feelings by himself.

_But why me?_

_Does he really like me?_

For Rui, it wasn’t uncommon for people to notice him, as he stood out. He had little doubts about being the object of other’s affection, but when it came to Jiro, he knew that this feeling was different. Rui was all too used to taking risks in his life, as from high school onward, he did nothing but follow his heart and inner ambitions.

Yet, when it came to Jiro, Rui didn’t want to think about losing him.

Jiro swallowed thickly as the silly question slipped from Rui’s lips.

“There’s no horse.”

_Up, down, up, down,_ went the tennis ball once again. This time, the sound it made felt almost deafening.

“Rui, I’ll give this ball to you under one condition. Can I tell you something?”

The only thing that Rui manage to reply with was okay. Storm clouds began to gather as the afternoon settled into a breezy chill. The clouds obscured the sun, which normally rivaled Rui in his brightness.

“/Alright./”

Suddenly, the ball slipped between Jiro’s fingers. It bounced across the tennis court. Rui wished he could focus on the man across from him or the ball that was now behind a bush, but all he could hear was the pounding of his own heart.

“/Mister Yamashita?/”

In all of Jiro’s life, he was afraid of sudden change. He didn’t necessarily have it easy growing up and cherished everything he had. When Rui came into his life, so much shifted that he barely had time to recoup.

Yet, when it came to Rui, Jiro didn’t want to think about staying constant.

“Rui—I…I like you.”

There it was, out in the open. Jiro could barely look down at Rui, eyes fixated on the white line of the tennis court. There was deafening silence. For the usual loud Rui, he quietly shuffled his feet underneath him.

_God, I’m such an idiot…you did it again, you dumbass…you ruined the only good that thing has happened to you. Fucker_.

“/Sorry/…”

Rui hastily wiped away the tears prickling in the corners of his eyes, sniffling to himself as he awkwardly folded his arms together. Jiro never felt more mortified in that moment. He desperately wanted to shove his hands into his pockets but could barely lift his arms up.

Before Jiro could react, he saw that Rui already ran away.

The last thing Jiro heard before sinking to the ground was the soft drizzle of rain on the asphalt.


	3. Into the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jiro finds Rui on his doorstep, but not with the intention of dinner as usual.

The soft drizzle gradually fell to the ground with more conviction, turning into full-force rain right before Jiro’s eyes. The matted lock of brown hair over his eyes made it difficult to see past the tennis court, but Jiro’s eyes welled with tears before he could make out what was in front of him. As soon as the single tear fell, his hand instinctively flew over his mouth in silence. He couldn’t remember the last time he cried, he couldn’t let it happen now. Despite Jiro’s lethargic and rather slovenly appearance, there was one thing in his life that he held true to him under all circumstances. If something in his life was truly good, something worth _saving_ , he would fight for it. Self-sabotage was a feeling Jiro was all too familiar with. It would, logically and emotionally, be more reasonable to give up now. If Jiro never bothered Rui again, passed by him in the mornings without turning his head, spent his dinners alone once, and deleted Rui’s contact, life would resume as it once did for him. If Jiro did something that was easy to him, _Rui would definitely tell me that I could push harder_ , he mused. _Always the idealist_.

Jiro felt paralyzed under the cold rain, pellets of water hitting his lab coat. His clothes felt like a heavy blanket of wetness covering him until he couldn’t breathe. Rui running away made him feel hollow, as if the sun would never peer through the clouds again. Everything in Jiro wanted to go home, shut himself indoors, and try to forget about the first time Rui stuck out his hand and introduced himself as “Michael”. Autumn leaves started falling from the trees that day, dancing around Rui’s feet as he paced through the courtyard. The courtyard that was now empty, except for Jiro, soaked from head to toe. 

Yet, despite it all, Jiro knew that their story wasn’t finished. 

Jiro felt himself get on his two feet again. With weight in each step, he returned to the classroom, grabbed his umbrella, and returned home.

After what happened between him and Rui yesterday, Jiro wished he could fully admit that he was recouping, but that was simply untrue. Two steps into his apartment building brought him to the shower, and after thirty minutes staring at the drain as hot water poured off him, he absentmindedly swung open his fridge and grabbed a beer. One beer turned into two, as Jiros head rested sleepily on his table. The numb, fuzzy feelings overtook him as he scrolled through photos on his phone. Interestingly enough, he didn’t have many pictures of himself. Jiro was always the one behind the camera, but never complained when it came time for people to ask him to take the picture. _Now that I think about it, Rui always insisted on taking selfies with me..._ The shorter blonde man would ask Jiro to hold the phone, as if Rui was the one with the phone, half of Jiro’s head would be cut off. Jiro could almost hear Rui in his right ear, asking “Mister Yamashita to lower the camera _please_.” He could also reply to Rui immediately if he asked— you don’t have to tell me twice. Jiro audibly sighs to himself, blowing his bangs upwards. _Isn’t it ever enough for you, you old man? You scared him off._

In the midst of his musing, Jiro was brought back to reality by a firm knock on his door. _Who could that be?_ _It’s late at night._ It’s not like Jiro had frequent visitors to his house anyways….except for...him.

_Rui?_

_What if it’s Rui?_

_There’s so much I want to say. I want to say sorry. I want to tell him that I wish I never told him, so that everything could be normal._

Quickly approaching his front entrance in pajamas and slippers, Jiro swung open the door, hoping to see his neighbor there...waiting for him. Out of all the times he hoped for his intuition to be correct, this was the moment he was placing his entire heart on. Jiro felt himself reflexively breathe a sigh of relief as he saw the shorter blonde man stand in front of him. While, on a normal occasion, Rui would enthusiastically invite himself in, the tense air between them kept Rui shuffling his feet outside of the doorway. Suddenly, their apartment complex felt much smaller than it really was. The both of them struggled to look at each other directly, Jiro choosing a spot behind Rui to focus on instead. _Otherwise, it would be too painful_.

Eventually, Rui was the first one who spoke, his usually boisterous voice now a quiet inquiry.

“ _Mister Yamashita_ , can I come in?”

All Jiro wanted was for Rui to feel like he never had to ask. 

“Sure.”

Rui rarely felt like there was a situation where he couldn’t turn around or make better with a lighthearted joke, but in moments like these, he knew it was better if he chose his words carefully. How could he possibly face the man he ran away from? It was unlike him to make a decision like that. Yet, accepting his confession meant that Jiro entrusted him with his feelings.

As someone who can read things, he didn’t see it coming. What he experienced with Jiro was more than situations Rui had been in in the past, politely turning down the other person’s affections. At times, Rui wanted to have fun too, remembering nights at bars where he would catch someone’s eye. It only recently dawned on Rui that falling for Jiro lasted longer than waking up to a text from an unsaved contact or winking at the person across the counter. As much as Rui wanted to follow his heart, he knew that he had to accept one thing: He _loved_ Jiro.

Rui recalled the English phrase he learned in college, _too good to be true_. Rui felt every sense of this phrase, the “too good” part being everything and anything related to Yamashita Jiro. 

On that day, Rui wanted to turn back, run into his arms and let himself be whisked away by love.

Jiro felt like comfort. He felt like safety.

Rui couldn’t stop thinking about the painful guilt of that night, when Jiro confided his feelings to him with more definitivity than soberness in his body. Yet, Rui knew that he had to make things right before it slipped away. He wasn’t going to let his fear of love get in the way of what he had to fight for. 

That was, if Jiro could give him a second chance. 

Rui sat across from Jiro, hands placed cautiously on his lap, as if moving them would startle Jiro. Rui felt like his throat was closing up, and while communication came so easily to him, he was grasping for a semblance of words in the thin air.

“Mister Yamashita, I’m sorry for...running away from you the other day.”

_I’m sorry for not turning back when I could have._

Rui wanted to say so much more, but he knew that he needed to direct. 

Jiro’s hand instinctively touched the back of his neck. He was silent for a while. Rui almost felt his chest clench when he saw the expression of apprehension on Jiro’s face. 

To be fair, Rui didn’t expect the words to come out of him. 

“It’s okay, Rui. I’m sorry I put that burden on you. I-I still stand by what I said. I hope that is something that won’t bother you. We can take a break from our friendship.”

Jiro chuckled to himself, almost painfully. It was the most he’s ever spoken in a while. 

“After all, your old man isn’t too good at moving on from his feelings, but I still care about-

“No.”

“R-Rui?”

“I don’t accept your apology. I don’t want to move on _as friends_.”

If Jiro could see Rui’s knees underneath the table, he would see that they were trembling.

“What are you...talking about?”

“I hope you can forgive me for how I acted that day. I understand if you don’t want to. I am not going to _run away_ from my feelings again. Mister Yamashita, _you make me so happy_. I want to see that _smile_ not just at night while having dinner, or during _work_ . I want to see it...all the time. I want to smile _together_ with you. I was scared before, because you seemed almost _too good to be true_ . But, Mister Yamashita, maybe you are. You’re my _miracle_. You made me feel something-”

Rui’s hand extended towards Jiro. With a tender smile spreading across his face, Rui gently placed his palm on Jiro’s left shirtsleeve. Jiro felt every nerve in his body burn with Rui’s touch and didn’t flinch. It felt so right. 

“ _Here_. Ahaha...I can hear your _heartbeat_.”

Before he could react fully, Rui felt Jiro’s face rest in the crook of his shoulder, the light friction of his stubble brushing against his skin. Jiro didn’t say a word since Rui told him his true feelings, but Rui knew. After all, Mister Yamashita was a man of his actions. At that moment, Rui felt like he could melt in Jiro’s embrace. It was as if all of the puzzle pieces finally aligned. Even though Jiro was the taller one, and had to curl over Rui’s body to hold him, it felt perfect. So perfect, in fact, that Rui began to sniffle and rub his tears on the back of Jiros shirt.

“Oi…Rui...”

“Ngh?”

“Don’t cry…”

Jiro’s hands rubbed small circles on Rui’s back to soothe him, but little did Jiro know, only made Rui’s heart beat even quicker with every touch. 

“I’m not going anywhere. Not now, not ever. I’m not ‘too good to be true’, or however you phrased it. That’s because I’m here.”

Jiro grinned in the way Rui loved to see the most, his eyebrows scrunched, slightly lifting up the right side of his mouth.

“I love you.”

One tear was followed by a sigh, not one of exasperation, but of tender acceptance. 

Rui’s hand went to cup Jiro’s cheek affectionately, finally, just finally, looking at Jiro’s eyes. Rui loved getting lost in the purple color, albeit surrounded by dark eye circles and slight wrinkles around his eyes. He paused in the moment, and admired Jiro’s face. Rui leaned in closer, the tip of his nose brushing against Jiro’s. He was so close.

Jiro felt like all of the emotions built up in his heart until this evening was about to burst from this small, intimate gesture. Rui was just _so_ cute, _so_ perfect, the way he looked at Jiro with those glittering eyes. A light blush was dusted across Rui’s cheeks, and his eyes closed as he giggled with pure joy.

_Oh my god_ , that giggle.

If Jiro could listen to that sound forever, he would. He would immediately ditch his radio to constantly loop the lilt in Rui’s voice. He wanted to always remember the way Rui’s eyes closed when he laughed. _His eyelashes are so pretty too..._

After all of those mundane afternoons admiring nothing but Rui himself, it was as if Jiro could spend forever without getting embarrassed. 

With both of his eyes screwed shut, Rui felt the courage in him to say it this time. He was no longer scared.

“Mister Yamashita!”

“Yes, Rui?”

“I love you! I love you so much! I love you the very most! I loooooove you!”

“You only have to say it once, you know,” Jiro joked around, not bothering to hide his smile. 

Rui leaned in even closer, as if he wanted to say it again for eternity. 

Their lips were only an inch apart once their noses touched. Every subtle moment felt like Rui was treading on the edge of pure euphoria, but he felt comfort in Jiro’s arms. Something felt natural, like it was all meant to happen. In hindsight, Rui reminded himself, it all seemed to fall into place. To Rui, there was no doubt in his mind that it was where he belonged. While their feelings were both confirmed, nothing between them changed. _Except for the fact_ , Rui thought to himself, _I can do this_. 

Jiro’s face flushed even more than when he was tipsy when Rui gently pressed his lips against his. The lights were bright in Jiro’s dining room, and even though Rui could make out every detail of Jiro’s face, he closed his eyes. The only sound that could be heard was Jiro returning that tender kiss. He heard Rui’s whine as their lips finally touched. Jiro finally felt satisfied. Albeit awkward, as Jiro really was kissing his neighbor with more passion than he felt in years, it felt just right. 

It had been a while since Jiro shared a kiss like _this_ , much less a kiss in general. Rui was _good_. Rui knew exactly how to deepen the kiss with his tongue, coaxing Jiro to respond similarly. It was almost tantalizing when Rui swiped his tongue across his own lips. _Sexy_... Jiro gasped between the kiss in approval, his breathing ragged. When the noise came from Jiro, a glint of light flashed across Rui’s eyes. _Did I imagine that?_ Rui’s fingers placed themselves in Jiro’s brown locks as Rui kissed Jiro with more fervor and passion, as if they were both racing into the night together. 

Jiro found himself lying with his back on the futon, facing Rui, who placed his hands at the side of Jiro’s head. From this angle, Jiro could see Rui’s collarbones, the buttoned shirt he was wearing slightly unbuttoned from the moment they shared. 

_God, I want to kiss him even more_. _Even if I don’t last through tonight, I’m going to spend it kissing him..._

  
This time, Jiro gently pulled the fabric of Rui’s shirt towards him, eagerly touching his lips once more. Before he could continue, he heard the small noise of the man on top of him. 

“T-twicklish…Mister Yamashita...stubble...”

_Oh._

“But _perfect._ ”

One kiss on his forehead.

“You’re _perfect_ here.”

Two kisses on both of his flushed cheeks.

“ _Here.”_

A long, deep kiss on his mouth.

_“Here too._ ”

Rui pondered before continuing, not because he didn’t know what to do next, but because he wanted to savor the moment fully.

“Mister Yamashita, I’m going to show you how _perfect_ you are. I’m going to _kiss_ every part of you. It’ll take _all night_ ...I like to be _slow_ …”

In the moonlight, Jiros hand trembled with anticipation as Rui moved his head downward to kiss his Adam’s apple. He felt the sound of an ocean through his head when Rui, almost deliberately, started to place open mouthed kisses from his neck to his collarbone.

“ _Neck_ …”

It was as if Jiro forgot how to breathe properly, as if this situation was something he conjured in the deepest recesses of his mind.

But it wasn’t. 

It was _real_. 

Between hushed whispers and restrained sounds that Jiro, looking back, could not describe without going into _that_ territory, Rui spent the rest of the night focused on the art of communication—with both actions and words. 

* * *

Rui started off his mornings as he would start most of his daily activities—as he liked to say—with vim and vigor. He loved the feeling of the sun on his face, the way he would use his hands to block the blinding light from his eyes. He enjoyed slipping into his pressed suit, adjusting his tie in the mirror and making sure every hair was in place. Rui also had to be completely ready for his job, which he adored. As one of the youngest teachers working at the school, he was used to being mistaken as a student teacher. He did recently get his college degree, but, rest assured, Rui was absolutely— and positively!— qualified for his task. Rui took pleasure in the shocked faces of students (and coworkers) when he explained he got hired right after the first interview. To be fair, they were looking for a teacher in the English department, but Rui was certain he belonged there. 

Before heading off, he would also wake up his neighbor, Jiro, if he wasn’t awake yet. 

Sometimes the two of them would talk to work together, Jiro behind Rui, muttering to himself about how early it was. 

Mister Yamashita added an element to his life where he felt like he was floating and mellow, like the comforting fizz of his favorite soda. 

He was in _love_. 

—With his neighbor next door and his coworker. Sounds almost like something out of the shoujo mangas his older sister would read, but it was true. 

That was the best feeling in the world!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "MISTER YAMASHITA!!!!"
> 
> "What, Rui?"
> 
> "Have you heard about kissing the homies goodnight dayo?"
> 
> "No... Is this one of the silly things you get into every now and then?"
> 
> "Nope! Let me show you!"


End file.
